Mobile devices are usable for telecommunications, and proliferate all aspects of daily life. Users with mobile devices frequently travel to a variety of places for a variety of purposes. It is conceivable that regardless of what or where a place might be, if there is a human user in that place, it is very likely that the user has a mobile device on the user's person or otherwise available to the user with which to establish a telecommunications call (hereinafter, “call”).
A call is any suitable method of telecommunication, including but not limited to audio telephonic communications, video telecommunications, textual messaging, taptically or haptically telecommunicating information, and generally telecommunication of data in these and other forms. Any type of mobile device can be used for a call. A mobile device is capable of relocating from one location to another as a user associated with the mobile device moves from one location to another. As some non-limiting examples, the mobile device can take the form of a cellular phone, a smartphone device, a tablet computer, a portable computing platform, a wearable device, and the like.
A typical call begins with a calling user (hereinafter, “caller”) dialing the number associated with a mobile device associated with a called user (hereinafter, “callee”). The service provider connects the call between the caller's telecommunication device and the callee's mobile device. In some cases, the caller selects a callee's name, such as from a phonebook or a similar contacts management application, and the caller's device calls the number stored relative to the callee's name in the phonebook.
In some cases, a caller may not know the callee or a callee's number. A caller can use a directory service, whereby the caller identifies the intended callee by name, address, or both, and the directory service provides the callee's number to the caller, connects the call between the caller and the callee, or both.
The illustrative embodiments recognize that for the directory service to work using only the address, the callee's number has to be permanently associated with that address, even if the number is assigned to a mobile device. In other words, if a callee has to be reached only by knowing the callee's address, the callee's number must be unchangeably associated with the address, even if the device associated with the number is mobile.
The illustrative embodiments recognize that presently, there is no available method by which a caller could call any callee who may be present at a given location at a given time. In other words, if a caller were interested in calling anyone who may be present at or around a specified geographical location, during a given period, the caller will be able to call that location only if either a number is permanently associated with that location and the caller calls that number, or the caller calls a specific known callee whose presence at the location might be a known fact to the caller.
The illustrative embodiments recognize that such a deficiency in the present telecommunications systems are severely limiting in many circumstances. The illustrative embodiments recognize that under certain circumstances, a caller may want to call any callee who satisfies a location-related criterion. A location-related criterion is a criterion or condition, which may specify a location, or from which a location can be deduced, and which must be satisfied by a potential callee. In other words, a location-related criterion can be used to deduce a present, past, or future location of a potential callee, qualify the callee for participation in the call, or both.
For example, a caller might want to call anyone —even an unknown callee—who may be at the park now, to ask whether they see a child with a red sweater on the swing there. The park may not have a number associated therewith, and different callees may be present at the park at different times. The callee's presence at a location —the park—is an example of a callee condition in a location-related criterion that the callee has to satisfy to participate in the call, and where the park is a location specified in the criterion.
As another example, a caller might want to call anyone—even an unknown callee—who may be near a store, to ask whether the store has a line of patrons outside. The callee's presence at a location—near the store, e.g., within certain distance of the store—is another example of a location-related criterion where the store may be specified but “near” the store may be an unspecified location in the location-related criterion. The “near the store” location may not have a number associated therewith, or even an address associated therewith. Furthermore, the “near the store” may not be a specific location but an area, such as an area defined by a radius or other geographical fence. Additionally, different callees, with different mobile devices, and with different numbers or identifiers, may be present in the area at different times.
As another example, a caller might want to call anyone—even an unknown callee—if certain other types of location-related conditions or criteria are met by the callee, to exchange some information. For example, the caller might be interested in calling someone who is stationary, i.e., not driving or being driven, and ask the callee about a landmark that is visible from the callee's location. The callee being stationary at the callee's location is another example of a callee condition in a location-related criterion, which the callee has to satisfy to participate in the call. The callee's location may or may not be specified in the location-related criterion, and therefore may have to be deduced from the location-related condition. As in the other examples above, different callees, with different mobile devices, and with different numbers or identifiers, may be present at the callee's location at different times.
As another example, the caller might be interested in calling someone who is in a group of ten people or more, with a known person, such as a well known performer whose present location is available. The callee's presence with a group is another example of a callee condition in the location-related criterion, which the callee has to satisfy to participate in the call. The location of the group is unspecified in the location-related criterion but can be deduced from the location of the performer. Again, different callees, with different mobile devices, and with different numbers or identifiers, may be present with the known person at different times.
As another example, the caller might be interested in calling anyone who is situated so as to be able to reach a location within a given amount of time. The callee's presence at one location—from where another location is reachable—is an example of a location-related criterion, where the other location may or may not be specified, as in the above examples. Specifically, a callee condition in this example may include the reachability of the other location. For example, if the other location is two miles away, a pedestrian callee may not satisfy the callee condition whereas a driver callee might, depending upon a trajectory of the driver callee's path from the driver callee's present location. The other location may be specified or deduced from the location-related condition. Again, different callees, with different mobile devices, and with different numbers or identifiers, may be within such a distance from the location at different times.
As another example, the caller might be interested in calling more than one callee who is located in an area or location during a given period. Particularly, the caller may want at least n callees to respond, no more than n callees to respond, n or more callees to respond, or some combination thereof. Furthermore, the caller may want one or more responses within a given period. Not only could different callees, with different mobile devices, and with different numbers or identifiers, be present at the location during the period, but also the group of potential callees may change during the period as callees enter and leave the area.
As another example, the caller might be a member of a household who may be interested in calling, at a future time, anyone who is situated at a location with another member of the household at a future time so as to be able to give a message or otherwise interact with the other member of the household at that future time. For example, such a situation may arise when the other member has forgotten his mobile phone and is not stationary at a predetermined location. The location of the other member of the household can be determined using a suitable mechanism other than a mobile device associated with the other member. For example, the other member's location is determinable at a store when the other member uses his credit card to make a purchase at the store. The callee may be another patron at the store. The callee's co-location with the other member of the household is an example of a location-related criterion and a future time based condition. Again, different callees, with different mobile devices, and with different numbers or identifiers, may be at the location at different times.
As another example, the caller might be interested in calling anyone near a lost pet to catch or corral the pet. The pet's location may be determined by a tracker in the pet's collar and the like. Because the pet is loose, the caller is interested in reaching different callees at different times according to the future travel path of the lost pet on an ongoing basis until the pet is captured. The callee's co-location near a future location of the pet at a future time is an example of a location-related criterion and a future time based condition. Again, different callees, with different mobile devices, and with different numbers or identifiers, may be at those different future locations at different times.
A similar situation can arise with a lost child or with a lost item in a public transportation vehicle as well. Another example situation where a caller wants to call any callee who is present at a time and location where the umbra of a solar eclipse will cross the United States border is a similar situation. The location and time of the umbra crossing the border has to be deduced from other data, and at that time a location call to that location has to be placed in a manner described herein.
As another example, a caller might want to call anyone—even an unknown callee—who may be at a location that the caller visited earlier, to ask whether they see the caller's lost wallet there. The past location is of the caller, the condition is a present presence of the callee at the past location of the caller, and different callees may be present at that location at different times.
As another example, a caller may be a law enforcement agency who might want to call anyone—even an unknown callee—who was at an establishment at a past time, to ask whether the callee saw a wanted person engaged in an unlawful activity then and there. The wanted person is someone other than the caller, the establishment visited in the past by the callee is the past location of part (i), and the callee's co-location with the wanted person at the past time at the establishment is the condition of part (ii). Different callees, with different mobile devices, and with different numbers or identifiers, may be present at the establishment at different times.
These example situations are not intended to be limiting. From this disclosure, those of ordinary skill in the art will be able to conceive many other situations where such calls are desirable and the same are contemplated within the scope of the illustrative embodiments.
The illustrative embodiments recognize that presently available methods of calling are severely limited in establishing a call in these and other similar circumstances. Thus, a solution for calling one or more transient callees or callee-associated mobile devices based on the mobile device's location is needed and will be beneficial.